Nutrition News  August 2007

Is Kosher Better?
You dont have to be Jewish to love foods with a rabbinic seal: More than half of those who buy kosher food do so because they think its healthier, reports marketing research firm Mintel International. Is it? Kosher food is produced to conform to Jewish dietary law, but that doesnt necessarily mean its better for you. Kosher chicken, for example, must be slaughtered in a particular way, then salted, soaked, and rinsed. As a result, it has more than twice the sodium of some nonkosher varieties. But the labeling can come in handy. If youre on a dairy- or meat-free diet, the word parve (or pareve) on a kosher item assures you the product was made without milk or meat.

Safer Salad
Last falls outbreak of food poisoning made many of us nervous about spinach  and all raw greens. Theres reason for worry; uncooked fruits and vegetables are now major sources of contamination. Some things are beyond your control: In the spinach outbreak, for example, washing didnt make any difference  bacteria got inside the leaves through contaminated irrigation water. Still, there are steps you can take to cut your chances of getting sick.For heads of greens: Discard outer leaves, then wash your hands with hot, soapy water. Separate the rest of the leaves and wash them individually under cool running water.For packaged precut lettuce: Place greens in a colander and rinse. If the package says ready to eat, you dont have to clean lettuce, says the FDA. The triple-wash process used by major packagers is even more effective than home rinsing. Make sure, though, that the bags have been kept chilled at the store and that they are within their sell by date.For all greens: Keep refrigerated (at or below 40 degrees). Bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels at higher temperatures.

More Fiber...Less Cancer
All of us could benefit from more fiber than the paltry average of 15 grams a day. But premenopausal women may have a special reason to boost intake, says a British study that tracked over 35,000 women for seven years. Those who ate 30 or more grams a day cut their breast cancer risk in half, compared with the women who ate less than 20 grams. How easy is it to get that much fiber? Check out the chart.

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